Never Mine
by Shade Penn
Summary: Pre-slash. It was never going to happen, was it? No one got everything they wanted. One-sided Jack/Optimus, one-sided Jack/Smokescreeen


Jack stared down at his lap, his thoughts whirling after everything that had happened. What with the Omega lock being destroyed, the silo being blown up, Jasper, Nevada being decimated, and thinking they'd lost Optimus. It had worked out, and for a moment, despite the still very gloomy situation; there was a brief time for him to think. His mom, Optimus, Arcee, and everyone else were okay, and his chest felt just a little less heavy.

His mind was in turmoil as he felt if he didn't say something, he felt like _he_ was going to explode. Jack was aware to say anything now would be incredibly selfish as this reprieve from the battles and being reunited could provide an unwanted distraction. He needed to talk to _someone_ though. He couldn't talk to his mother, because it would be too embarrassing, and he very well couldn't talk to Optimus because he was probably too busy.

And, well, because _he_ was the one Jack had the crush on. It would just be awkward.

Making up his mind, Jack made his way toward Arcee; they'd been through a lot together and maybe if he talked with someone of the same species as Optimus, then Jack could know if it would be a good idea to confess when everything was over. If everyone was still alive that was.

_'Don't think like that.'_ Jack thought and cleared his throat to gain her attention. "Can I talk to you, Arcee?"

"What it is, Jack?" Arcee questioned and didn't move from her spot.

Jack flushed, as it was clear just _asking_ to talk wasn't going to drive home the point he didn't want the others to hear him. "It's…_private."_ He said meaningfully. He saw Miko perk up, but he shot her a warning look.

Arcee looked like she got his meaning and nodded. "Alright then." She said and they walked into the back hangar.

Jack gathered his resolve as soon as he made sure Miko wouldn't be sneaking in. "Given the situation, would it be selfish to tell someone how I feel about them?"

Arcee looked a little startled by the abrupt and upfront question. "Is this about Sierra? Because I'm sure she already feels the same way."

Jack bit his lip. "It's not Sierra, it's hasn't been Sierra for a while now."

"Then couldn't you ask your mother?" Arcee asked.

"I can't, because she's not the same species." Jack replied and waited for the shoe to drop.

It was only for a moment, but Arcee's optics widened in realization. "It's an Autobot?" she asked quietly and Jack nodded. "Is it me?"

"What?" Jack asked surprised before he shook his head. "No, it's not you. I _do_ love you, but just not in that way."

"Then who do you like in 'that way'?" Arcee questioned, and her expression darkened. "Did something else happen on your little 'outing' with Smokescreen? Cause if he _did_ do something…"

Jack held up his hands in an effort to calm her down. "Nothing happened, and it's not Smokescreen." He replied and couldn't understand how she had come up with that. "It's…" he breathed in deeply to steady. "Optimus." He whispered.

Arcee looked absolutely stunned. "Optimus?" she repeated. "How long?"

"I realized it when he was with the Decepticons; I had a lot of time to think." Jack explained.

"So that's why you wanted to go to Cybertron." Arcee muttered.

Jack flushed. "Hey, it wasn't just me who wanted him back."

"You're right, but you were the only one who just _wanted_ him." Arcee retorted and Jack's blush reached his roots. Her expression turned serious. "Are you sure about these feelings? Optimus has never been interested in anyone, and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon, especially with the 'Cons still around."

Jack felt like he'd been punched in the gut, but Arcee's words rang true. He knew it was a longshot, but if nothing else, he wanted to clear the air between the two of them. "I'm serious." He said firmly. "Rejection hurts, but it's still better than letting this just fester. I don't think I could be able to handle that." He muttered.

Arcee's optics narrowed, and she nodded sharply after a moment. "Then I say, go for it." She said and a very slight smile graced her lip components, but it fell a second later. "But I would still prepare for rejection."

Jack nodded back at her. He walked out of the room, and he walked down the hall to where Optimus had been holed up in, but his stomach lurched as he got closer and his heart raced. He was so nervous that he jumped when he heard a voice calling his name and he looked over at Smokescreen. "Oh, hey."

"Hey." Smokescreen replied. "Are you going to see Optimus?"

"Yeah, I need to talk to him." Jack said.

"What about?" Smokescreen questioned.

Jack flushed. "It's personal." He said and he didn't like the way Smokescreen's optics flared with interest. It reminded him of the way Miko looked. "And no, I won't tell you."

The mech's optics dimmed. "Oh," he said and shrugged, "well alright then."

"Where are you going?" Jack asked.

"I'm thinking of changing my colors and getting a new alt-mode, like what Bumblebee did." Smokescreen said.

"That's cool." Jack said sincerely. "What colors are you thinking of getting?"

Smokescreen shrugged. "I can't exactly choose them myself, but maybe when this is over we could go out on a drive together. Like what we did before."

Jack's flushed died down as he frowned uneasily. "I don't know; look how the _last_ one ended."

"This one wouldn't be for an assignment though." Smokescreen said quietly, his voice going a little weird, as though he were trying to sound suave.

"You're certainly direct." Jack said and crossed his arms. "What brought this on?"

Smokescreen crossed his own arms and leaned on one leg. "You were the first one who really accepted me; we had fun pranking people after all. Green means go, remember?"

Jack remembered, and now it had a new meaning. He bit his lip, his stomach doing flips; how ironic was this? "I'd like that," he said carefully, "but I really need to speak with Optimus."

Smokescreen's doorwings fell slightly and his optics dimmed. "Well, after then?"

Jack felt like he had to make it up to Smokescreen after the tongue-lashing he'd gotten from Arcee. "Alright." He said and briskly continued walking, but he'd still seen the brightening optics. It left him feeling guilty, but his thoughts went to a complete halt when he finally saw Optimus. He was struck tongue-tied, and his embarrassment rose accordingly.

How could _now_ of all times he be so nervous?

Optimus noticed him standing there. "Jack, am I needed?"

"What? Uh, no, I needed to speak with you." Jack said and Optimus nodded. He thought of coming right out with it, but even Smokescreen had initiated a conversation with him before asking him out. He was feeling impatient though. "You see, there's this…_someone_ I like, and would it be wise to tell them considering what's going on?"

Optimus' faceplate was unreadable, but Jack could guess he was thinking of the Autobots given how Jack never said it was _person_. "Given the current predicament with the Decepticons, it would be too great of a distraction. They would surely worry for you, and that would impair judgement."

Jack's heart felt like it had just shattered. In his own oblivious way, Optimus had just rejected him. He had tried to brace himself, but hearing the words just sealed it. "I…I see." It had been the complete opposite of what he'd talked about with Arcee, and he felt like a coward for wanting to keep his mouth shut now that he knew his crush's stance on this matter. "That was all." He said shrugging like it was no big deal and turned away.

"Jack…" Optimus said and the teen looked back at him. "Aside from your display with Smokescreen, I stand by my decision; you have matured greatly since we met, but you are still just a child."

Jack nodded as he continued on his way, his throat feeling constricted; Optimus knew.


End file.
